We know that families experiencing this injury are under a great deal of emotional stress at the time they receive our tote bags. Many communicate with us through our toll free TBI-Hope Line very soon after the injury has occurred but most let us know how helpful our bags were to them during this extremely difficult time months later.
If you or someone you know has been touched in some way by our program and would like to share your story, please feel free to email us at letters@mabii.org.
Here a just a few letters we’ve received from families:
1/21/10
Alex Ross http://alexrossupdates.com/
Hi Tracy
You are truly a blessing! I must thank u and the organization for the mothers shower room here at Shands!! I haven't left the hospital since that horrific day of Jan 6th and that HOT shower is my saving grace and favorite part of my day! A mothers worst nightmare... Your canvas bag and room have brought comfort to me! Thank u a million times over! Xoxoxo
PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!
Lisa
2/11/10
Hi Tracy,
I will try to call you this afternoon. As you know, the days in the hospital for whatever reason seem to fly by. I am at the point where I am constantly reading to my son, putting on music, whatever I can to make some connection. We are in Rhode Island , RI Hospital. I heard about you, oddly enough, my next door neighbor's son was in a motorcycle accident in Florida two weeks before my John's accident and she is out in FL now with her boy. She said you were a lifeline because it really is such a feeling of confusion and fear at this point. I will explore your website further and call you. Thank you for just being out there. I don't know if I've ever felt so helpless and I so want my son back with us. He is not responding yet - it has been two weeks.....
Warm regards,
Terri Snyder
Follow up after speaking with Terri to let her know it was still VERY early in the awakening process. Sent a Tote Bag 2/18
Hi Tracy,
Hi Tracy - first of all, thank you so much for the package/tote bag. This is amazing that you do this. How comforting. It brought me to tears (especially the blanket) - just made me feel so much better in all this whirlwind. Thank you so much for the information. Interesting after reading some of the excerpts from the Caring Bridge story you sent - how common storming is... and no on even mentioned this concept to us! We were simply told that they were taking tests to rule out infections and that when the tests are done, it may be simply coming from his brain injury. Which then, of course, leads us to say "ok, so then what do we do? and how do we get the fevers down?" So... it was very informative and comforting to know that there is a name for this, it sounds like it is common, and pretty much all the symptoms described (and the treatments) are right on. I have limited visitors myself to quietly one at a time in the room. I started the caring bridge website His name is John Burdett - I'll send the link to you when it is up and running.
Tracy - thank you so much - you have provided far more information to us than any of the doctors have. Today I asked if anyone in neurology was actually following John's case - (he is still in the trauma ICU) - I needed to know he was not forgotten. I was told they are following him on their "rounds" but that if there is no change, there is no need for a meeting or further tests..... I'm sure this is not unusual, just disconcerting when your child is in a hospital bed from day to day.
Take care and thank you again.
Terri
3/1/10
I received a bag from your organization while my son was in the NICU at Orlando Regional Medical Center. He was in a four car pile up on the interstate while heading home from the Coast Guard for a weeks leave. The pickup truck which he was a passenger in, hydroplaned into the oncoming lane which caused the pile up and resulted in 7 injuries and one death. My son was wearing a seat belt but had a broken femur, upper lip split open into his nose, and a TBI- diffused axonal brain injury. He was 20 years old, in a coma for three weeks, then moved to a step down unit, then to a regular room at ORMC. He left the hospital on 10-20-09 for rehab in Atlanta (closer to home) and then was released from rehab on 12-18-09. He was able to have some convalesent leave and returned to his duties in the Coast Guard on Feb. 8th. He is on light duty but he is back and has had an amazing recovery! It has been a long five months but then it's only been five months!!- I read all the testimonies in the tote -was kinda overwhelmed at the time because there was so much going on and so much unknown for us but loved reading them!
His caringbridge site is clayhammond1. I kept a journal for my son with a photo each day- even when he was in a coma- because I knew he would want to know what was happening during that time and so there are facts in his journal ( which I do not have now)- all that to say I can't remember which day I was given the tote but it was that moment that I realized he really did have a TBI and I cried- could not hold back the tears- had been pretty together til that point- the nurse gave me a hug and we moved forward!
We stayed at the Hubbard House which was within walking distance to the hospital so I had toiletries and stuff there, loved the blanket because they kept the room really cold-it came in handy for me as I sat by his side and then one he was waking up I placed it over him because he just couldn't get warm. Read all the materials, a lot of good information but like I said it was overwhelming to me- stuff I needed to know about, just wasn't ready to hear! My husband works with special ed kids and has for the last 30 years so the way he dealt with the entire situation was completely different from me. He knew what could be ahead and I was trusting the Lord for a complete recovery. Anyway, I appreciated the tote and all the goodies inside of it.
Thanks again for being there for a stranger during a very difficult time!!
Brenda Hammond
Letters from the Hospitals & Professionals 2010
We encourage hospital staff and professionals to share their accounts of how these tote bags helped them during the course of a family’s stay. Nurses and social workers work very closely with the families. We are told on occasion how nice it is for them to be able to hand the family hope through this very compassionate program.
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